Modular Egress System

ABSTRACT

A free-standing modular egress system comprising various elements of a core frame, a staircase, a handrail, a long landing, a short landing, a door frame, and a means for attachment, for use in construction of hospitality and residential building construction. The system is prefabricated off-site which makes the onsite installation easier and capable of being installed prior to construction of the building.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to egress stair systems used in the construction of buildings and more specifically to modular egress stair systems capable of use with any traditional framing system used in the construction of buildings.

While constructing a building, a staircase must be provided between two consecutive floors for allowing people to walk from one floor to the other. Further, many existing building codes require that every high rise/multi-level building such as an apartment building, hotel, hospital, and similar multi-level buildings, be constructed with at least two stairways, which can be used as fire exits. These stairways are typically required to be fire resistant up to a specific fire resistance rating. Conventional staircases may be constructed on-site through a reinforced concrete structure or a steel structure. On-site reinforced concrete construction contains many steps and is complicated and labor intensive. Pouring the concrete on site has many obvious drawbacks. Another drawback is that the construction schedule of staircase construction is difficult to control, which often leads to missed deadlines and/or delays. It is also difficult to build the steps within a desired accuracy of dimensions and therefore further final finish work is commonly required. Construction of a steel structure staircase also includes many steps and while it is more efficient than the reinforced concrete construction method, it has issues due to the accuracy of dimensions measurement differences between steel and concrete construction methods, when the steps are formed using concrete material, which is typical. When a dimension inconsistency occurs, the framework elements may not be set into their predetermined positions correctly. When each framework element is set into the right place, it is difficult to align the framework element with the embedded bolts within the building.

Concrete is known for its good fire resistance and therefore many of the prior art stairways are constructed from concrete or reinforced concrete. The stairway itself is a rather complicated structural element in buildings. Construction of stairways in concrete technology is quite difficult and expensive. Most concrete stairways are built using concrete blocks by casting reinforced concrete on site as the basic structural material. The use of the above mentioned structural materials makes the construction of stairways difficult, slow and time consuming. In many cases, it is not feasible for the stairways to be built at the same time as the building is being erected. In such cases, temporary stairs (or ladders) have to be erected in order to allow movement of construction labor, which are replaced later by permanent stairways. This practice adds to the cost of the building construction, as well as the time to complete the construction and other factors.

To overcome some of the inefficiencies and issues with the on-site construction methods, prior art methods have moved to using prefabricated egress/stairway units for the egress/stairway portions of the building. Attempts have been made to introduce prefabricated stairways in an attempt to eliminate some of the above mentioned disadvantages. Several prefabricated stairway systems are being used in the prior art. For example, one prior art method uses multiple separate components including prefabricated steps and landing platforms which are made from reinforced concrete or steel. The plurality of separate prefabricated elements used in such systems makes the construction of stairways still expensive and difficult because of the plurality of the connections and high accuracy required in mating parts, which requires significant manpower and time. There still exists a need to provide a system which substantially overcomes all the above mentioned disadvantages with the prior art. There is also a need to provide an egress stair system which combines many elements of an egress stair system including walls, hand rails, wall rails, steps, and landing platforms into a prefabricated modular unit that is less complex and easier to install.

The construction of buildings from modular elements is an economic method of construction. Modular elements are typically constructed at a location away from the actual building site in an environment where construction conditions can be controlled and optimized. The modular elements are then transported to the building site and assembled, which is faster and easier since the majority of the on site construction work has been eliminated.

One problematic area in modular construction has been the design of efficient stairways. Since stairways function as connectors between levels in a building, it is difficult to incorporate an efficient stairway design into compactly designed modules which themselves occupy only a single level. One approach has been to design a single module with multiple offset levels and short stair-ways built integrally into the module to connect the levels. Another approach has been to form the stairway itself as an integral prefabricated member, generally of concrete. However, these approaches generally increase the complexity and have not proven to be cost effective. In addition, larger multilevel modules can be difficult to transport due to their larger size. Also, these designs have not made the optimal use of space, an important component in modular design. This is particularly a problem in buildings which must have two separate stairways accessing each level for fire safety. Generally, the two stairways are located in remote areas of the building.

While prior art has attempted to use prefabricated designs, there are still many drawbacks and issues with the prior art egress stair systems currently on the market as identified above. Many of the prior art systems still require a significant amount of on-site work to finalize the egress system/stair core and must be constructed simultaneously with the rest of the building. Many of the prior art systems are hard to ship and transport due to the size and weight. Further, most of these prior art systems are limited to specific framing systems/core types of either precast concrete or cast-in-place concrete. Many prior art systems also require the use of temporary elements such as handrails, stairs and stair pan infill during construction. Many of these prior art systems are complex, hazardous to workers, expensive and time consuming, negating the proposed benefits of using a modular prefabricated system.

As mentioned above, prior art systems are typically limited to a specific or singular framing system/core type (could also be referred to as a building construction method), such as precast concrete, cast-in-place concrete, or steel, with the most common being precast concrete. Therefore a need exists for a system that is capable of being able to work with any of the traditional framing systems, such as wood, metal studs, concrete block (CMU), light gauge steel, structural steel, precast or cast-in-place concrete.

Therefore, there is a need for an egress stair system that overcomes the issues associated with prior art, that is free-standing, modular and pre-fabricated, can be used with any kind of framing system/core type and is cost-effective, efficient, easy to transport, easy to install, and safer than prior art systems.

SUMMARY

The present invention overcomes the problems with prior art systems and provides a safer, cost-effective, efficient, revolutionary and unique modular steel egress stair core system utilizing slot and tab technology and plate shaping to create a free-standing, multi-level/floor egress stair core system, which works with any traditional framing system, such as wood, metal studs, concrete block (CMU), structural steel, precast or cast-in-place concrete. The egress stair core system of the present invention also meets the required fire resistance ratings required by applicable codes.

When the present invention is used for cast-in-place (“CIP”) construction, the egress stair core comes complete as the inside of a CIP form, complete with reinforcements (vertical and horizontal) in place. When used with for CIP construction, the present invention can be used to create 8″, 10″ or 12″ thick CIP stair cores.

The present invention is an improvement over prior art in that it is a standalone egress stair core. It can be installed at any time, even before construction of the building around it. The egress system of the present invention can be erected before the construction of the building and is immediately useful after erection thereof, giving sight personnel the ability to move vertically during the construction process. Further, the frame of the egress core is controlling and acts as the inside of the molds for whatever type of framing system will be used for the building, including wood, metal studs, concrete block (CMU), structural steel, precast or cast-in-place concrete.

The modularity of the present invention allows for an easy and efficient installation of the egress stair core in building construction. The egress stair core is prefabricated and manufactured off-site and due to the novel elements of the present invention it is able to be easily transported to the construction site as two halves in U-shaped portions, with one portion containing the long landing side and the other portion containing the short landing side. The short and long landings are already installed in the respective halves. The U-shaped portions are set on anchor bolts and plumbed and leveled and then the switchback stairs are installed within the stair core. The stairs are installed using bolted connections from landing to landing. All of the necessary components of the egress system are already installed, including but not limited to, the stairs and handrails being integrated together. The system of the present invention also includes steel door framing already installed, which allows for the ability to lock the egress stair core module during construction.

The modularity further allows for the egress stair system of the present invention to be used with any traditional framing type, including but not limited to, wood framing, light gauge steel, metal studs, structural steel, concrete block, precast concrete, and cast-in-place concrete (CIP). While one of the important features of the present invention is that it uses standardized dimensions, other than the floor to floor height, which allows for ease of construction and modularity, the present invention can be customized based on a customer's or job's specific requirements and still take advantage of all of the benefits of the present invention. Floor to floor height is determined based upon the specific job.

Further, it is within the ambits of the present invention that the egress system could be used not only to provide stair cores systems, but also for elevator cores.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is intended to be used for hospitality and residential buildings, but it is within the ambits of the present invention that the present invention could be used for other types of buildings which require egress systems.

Accordingly, in order to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a modular egress stair core system is provided which is free-standing and therefore can be installed prior to the construction of the rest of the building. Further, the modularity of the present invention allows for it to be used with any type of traditional framing types, including but not limited to, wood framing, light gauge steel, metal studs, structural steel, concrete block, precast, and cast-in-place (CIP).

It is an object of the present invention to provide a modular egress system that is less complex and safer than prior art systems.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a modular egress system that requires less onsite work than prior art systems.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a modular egress system that is easier to transport than prior art systems.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an egress stair core system which saves significant amounts of time and manpower, and therefore expenses and costs over prior art systems.

It is a further object of the present invention that due to the present invention's modularity and use of standardized dimensions throughout, architects and project planners are easily able to specify the use of the present invention in buildings they are constructing.

While it is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive on the present invention, these and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings where:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a modular egress system according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a modular egress system according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an end view of a modular egress system according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention showing the core frame and CIP concrete form;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention showing the stair, handrail, and landing elements;

FIG. 6 is a is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention showing the core frame;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention showing the core frame and CIP concrete form;

FIG. 8 is a perspective top view of an embodiment of the present invention showing the stair, handrail, and landing elements;

FIG. 9 is a perspective top view of an embodiment of the present invention showing the frame and CIP concrete form and landing elements;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is an illustrative diagram depicting how the modular egress system is transported and installed according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, reference will be made to the preferred forms, configurations, embodiments and/or diagrams relating to and helping describe preferred aspects and versions of the instant invention, which are explained and characterized herein, often with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings and features shown herein also serve as part of the disclosure of the invention, whether described in text or merely by drawing disclosure alone.

With reference to FIGS. 1-3, a modular egress system 1 of the present invention is generally shown comprising a core frame 2, stairs 3, handrails 4, long landings 5, short landings 6, door frames 7, and attachment means 8. FIG. 1 depicts a two floor system constructed by stacking two modular egress systems 1 vertically and attaching the two systems together via the attachment means 8. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, up to five floors may be used. However, it is within the ambits of this invention, that even more floors could be constructed. The present invention uses standardized dimensions throughout other than the floor to floor height, which is determined on a job by job basis. The uses of standardized dimensions allows makes it easier for the present invention to be modular. It is within the ambits of the present invention that customized dimensions may be used. All of the necessary components of the modular egress system are already installed before reaching the job site, including but not limited to, the stairs and handrails being integrated together. The system of the present invention also includes steel door framing already installed, which allows for the ability to lock the modular egress system during construction, which is extremely important on live construction sites.

The core frame 2 is comprised of vertical steel columns 2′ and horizontal steel cross bars 2″. The core frame is typically manufactured using structural steel, but any suitable building materials may be used.

FIGS. 4-9 illustrate various components of the present invention without some of the other components for visual purposes to aid in understanding the invention better. FIG. 4 shows elements of another embodiment of the present invention when used for cast-in-place concrete framing. FIG. 4 shows the core frame 2 with the inside of the cast-in-place form 10 attached thereto. The integrated door frames 7 are also depicted. FIG. 5 shows the stairs 3, handrails 4 and landing elements 5 and 6 of the present invention without the core frame 2. FIG. 6 illustrates the core frame 2 without any of the internal components of the present invention. The core frame 2 is shown comprised of vertical steel columns 2′ and horizontal steel cross bars 2″. The door frame 7 is also shown. FIG. 7 illustrates the core frame 2 when used with cast-in-place concrete framing and it is shown with the inside of the cast-in-place form 10 attached thereto.

FIG. 8 depicts the interior elements of the present invention, including the stairs 3, handrails 4 and the long landing 5 and short landing 6 of the present invention without the core frame 2.

FIG. 9 illustrates the modular egress system 1 of the present invention when used for cast-in-place concrete framing with the inside of the cast-in-place form 10 shown, but without the stair element being shown. FIG. 9 is also a good depiction of what the present invention would look like after initial installation of the two halves of the modular egress system 1 with the long landing 5 and the short landing 6 already installed before transport to the job site. During installation of the present invention, the stairs would then be installed using bolted connections from landing to landing. FIG. 9 further illustrates how the modular egress system of the present invention ties into the rest of a building by showing the outside of the cast-in-place form 10′ and how it ties into concrete floor/decking 20 of a building.

FIG. 11 further illustrates how the novel, prefabricated modular egress system of the present invention is shipped to the jobsite, taking advantage of its unique design so that transportation is easier than with prior art systems. FIG. 11 further illustrates how the modular egress system of the present invention is installed at the jobsite. The modular egress system of the present invention is shipped to the jobsite on a tractor trailer in two halves A and B. The two halves already have the long landings 5 and short landings 6 installed in the respective halves. The stairs 3 and handrails 4 are shipped separately. However, the stairs 3 and handrails 4 have already been prefabricated as one piece, so that there are fewer steps when installing on the job site. Both halves are set on anchor bolts (or other attachment means) 8 and plumbed. Then the stairs 3 and handrails 4 (not shown in FIG. 11) are then installed using bolted connections from landing to landing.

In FIG. 10, a single floor of the modular egress system 1 is shown. This figure illustrates a few of the different framing systems/core types that can be used in the various embodiments of the present invention. At each corner of the system 1, a different framing type is shown, with different cast-in-place thicknesses 9 shown ranging from 8″, 10″, to 12″ thick as well as concrete block (CMU) 11. When CMU is the desired core type, N-joists 12 are used. As FIG. 10 is for illustrative purposes only, it should be noted that the desired core type would be all the way around the core frame 2. While this figure shows a few framing systems, the present invention can be used with any traditional framing system including but not limited to wood framing, light gauge steel, metal studs, structural steel, concrete block, precast and cast-in-place concrete. It is also envisioned that another embodiment of the present invention could be used for elevator egress systems, using the same ideas inherent to the present invention.

Various changes, alternatives and modifications may become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art following a reading of the foregoing specification. It is intended that any such changes, alternatives, and modifications within the scope of this provisional patent application be considered a part of the present invention. Further, it is within the ambit of the present invention to cover any obvious modifications of the embodiments described herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A modular egress system comprising: a core frame comprising vertical columns and horizontal cross bars; a staircase; a handrail; a long landing; a short landing; a door frame; a means for attachment;
 2. The modular egress system of claim 1, wherein the core frame is manufactured in two halves.
 3. The modular egress system of claim 2, wherein the long landing and short landing are each integrated with one half of the core frame.
 4. The modular egress system of claim 1, wherein the modular egress system is prefabricated.
 5. The modular egress system of claim 1, wherein the staircase and handrail are integrated together forming one element.
 6. The modular egress system of claim 1, wherein the system is transported by tractor trailer with each half of the core frame integrated with the landings transported separate from the integrated staircase and handrail.
 7. The modular egress system of claim 1, wherein the door frame is installed at one end of the core frame.
 8. The modular egress system of claim 1, wherein the core frame can be used with any traditional framing system comprising wood framing, light gauge steel, metal studs, structural steel, concrete block, precast and cast-in-place concrete.
 9. The modular egress system of claim 1, wherein the staircase is connected to the long and short landings via bolted connections.
 10. The modular egress system of claim 1, wherein the system is free-standing.
 11. A modular egress system comprising: a core frame comprising vertical columns and horizontal cross bars; a staircase integrated with a handrail; a long landing connected to one end of the core frame; a short landing connected to the opposite end of the core frame; a door frame installed on one end of the core frame; a means for attachment for attaching the system to a building foundation and attaching additional identical levels of the system vertically on top of each other;
 12. The modular egress system of claim 11, wherein the door frame is installed at one end of the core frame.
 13. The modular egress system of claim 11, wherein the core frame is manufactured in two halves.
 14. The modular egress system of claim 13, wherein the long landing and short landing are each integrated with one half of the core frame.
 15. The modular egress system of claim 11, wherein the system is transported by tractor trailer with each half of the core frame integrated with the landings transported separate from the integrated staircase and handrail.
 16. The modular egress system of claim 11, wherein the door frame is installed at one end of the core frame.
 17. The modular egress system of claim 11, wherein the core frame can be used with any traditional framing system comprising wood framing, light gauge steel, metal studs, structural steel, concrete block, precast and cast-in-place concrete.
 18. The modular egress system of claim 11, wherein the staircase is connected to the long and short landings via bolted connections.
 19. The modular egress system of claim 11, wherein the system is free-standing. 